WHITEFIELD residents turned out in force at a public meeting to let developers and architects know their thoughts on how to refurbish the old town hall gardens.

Two proposals for the hall in the All Saints Conservation Area, also known as 'Underley public open space,' are being considered - a 50-bed care home or a block of 24 luxury apartments - and the surrounding gardens will be given a complete transformation either way.

The green land, owned by Bury Council, and the hall, owned by Steven Latimar, have degenerated into disrepair and become a magnet for anti-social behaviour with arsonists targeting the building since it ceased to be used as council offices.

Mr Latimar had plans to turn the hall into a care home but developments were halted in 1996 when the area was reclassified as a conservation zone. The architects, DLA Landscape and Urban Design, have put together exciting plans to revamp the gardens, taking the area back to the splendour enjoyed in Victorian times, but residents are concerned about security and that they will not have full access to the parks, and they challenged Mr Latimar on his exact plans for the change of use of the hall.

Councillor Derek Boden said: "The public want access to the park and for that to happen there needs to be someone to lock the gates for security reasons.

"I'm not convinced these issues have been resolved, so the developers need to come back to us with more details."

Mr Latimar said: "The only way we can improve the area is with this kind of scheme, because the local authority unfortunately does not have the funds available. There needs to be physical occupation of the building to ensure maintenance of the area."

A further public meeting to seek residents' opinions will be held when more information is available.